Former U.S. Representative George Santos pleaded guilty on Monday to fabricating fundraising figures, cementing the downfall of a novice politician who was expelled from Congress last year after a brief, scandal-plagued tenure.

Santos, a Republican, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft, the latter carrying a mandatory two-year prison sentence.

The charges stemmed from inflating fundraising numbers and faking donor names to qualify for financial and logistical support from the Republican party during the 2022 election cycle, when the political newcomer was elected to represent a slice of New York City and its eastern suburbs.

After pleading guilty at a hearing before U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert, Santos, 36, apologized to his constituents.

"I deeply regret my conduct and the harm it has caused and accept full responsibility for my actions," Santos said in the federal courthouse in Central Islip, New York, on Long Island, his voice shaking as he read from a prepared statement.

Santos is set to be sentenced on Feb. 7. He could face as much as 22 years in prison, and waived his right to appeal any sentence less than 95 months - just under eight years - as part of a plea deal with federal prosecutors.

Santos was hit with federal charges in May 2023 for laundering campaign funds to pay for his personal expenses, charging donors' credit cards without their consent, and receiving unemployment benefits while he was employed.

As part of his plea deal, Santos admitted to all of the wrongdoing described in the indictment, even though he only pleaded guilty to two of the 23 counts.

He has been free on $500,000 bond since his arrest.

Santos had initially pleaded not guilty. He had been in plea talks with prosecutors since last December.